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PERU:
High Purpose And Destiny
By Frank and Wendy Parrish
In
July of this year World MAP’s Directors, Frank
and Wendy Parrish, traveled with Rett &
Sherrill Bragg of Rhema International Ministries
to conduct pastoral training and renewal seminars in the South American
nation of Peru.
Frank
and Wendy first met with the Braggs in the fall of 2005 to discuss the
needs in Peru
and prayerfully consider whether World MAP could help. The Braggs have
served as missionaries there for over 25 years and are very familiar with
the challenges facing the Church in Peru.
As is
so often the case, the primary need of church leaders in Peru (especially outside the
major cities) is biblically sound training for the pastors, who will in
turn teach the people. Many of the believers practice a blend of religions
that includes Christianity, animism, witchcraft and Roman Catholicism. They
still live in fear of the shamans in their villages (local witchdoctors)
and of the very real demonic activity they witness regularly.
In the
jungle and river areas, the people lack even a basic biblical grasp of the
work of Christ and salvation, let alone a proper understanding of their
position and authority in Christ. The church leaders want to help, but many
do not even meet with the people weekly, since they do not know what to
teach them. They do not have the scriptural understanding to lead people
into following Christ as growing, maturing disciples.
In
addition, there has been very little sound teaching about the Holy Spirit
and living a Spirit-filled life. How much these pastors and people would
benefit from understanding the power for living and tools for spiritual
warfare available to them through the Holy Spirit!
It was
with this background that we entered into the July 2006 Equipping and Renewal
Seminars for the church leaders in Peru!
Eager And Hungry
It is
often said that God responds to hunger for Him. This was evidenced during
our time in Peru,
where the precious church leaders were so eager to learn and hungry to
understand God and His Word. They were very open to experiencing His touch,
hearing His voice and receiving His Holy Spirit in a fresh and powerful
way. And God truly met them!
Powerfully Touched
Our time
began in Lima,
where we were blessed to minister to the youth from a large church, “Mision Biblica Carismatica”. This group was on fire for God and already
actively reaching their community. Frank taught about giving their all for
the sake of the Gospel, and they responded to the Word with such zeal and
desire! God met them with His power as they reaffirmed their commitment to
serve Him to their utmost.
We
were also privileged to minister on Sunday morning at another church that
was planted by Pastors Manny and Sonya Guittierez
in a rather undesirable area of Lima.
This church has impacted the community greatly as they serve “the least of
these” with such love and compassion. They have seen prostitutes and drug
addicts come to Christ, leave the world and grow to become fruitful
believers and even leaders in the church. It was a joy for Frank to break
open the Word with this local body, and for us to pray for them at the
close of the service. The people were blessed, some healed and many powerfully
touched by the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst.
Abundant Life
The
next morning, we left the urban sprawl of Lima
in a large bus, embarking on an eleven-hour trek over the Andes Mountains
to the central jungles of Peru.
Winding over the narrow mountain roads with steep cliffs and no railings
allowed us an up-close and personal view of life in this remote jungle area
(as well as extra opportunity for prayer!).
As in
most developing nations, the people live in very primitive conditions -
dirt floors, often no plumbing or electricity, and none of what we would
consider the necessities of life. For these people, life is hard and
brutal, and it takes most of their time and resources just to survive
daily. One cannot help but sense their hopelessness and despair.
How
great a privilege to bring to them Christ’s message of hope, both for life
now and more importantly for life everlasting!
A Power-Packed Day
Our
first pastors’ gathering was in the jungle town of Pichanaki. More
than 150 area pastors and their wives came in for the one-day seminar,
which began at 9:00 a.m. and did not conclude until almost 11:00 p.m. that
evening. The day was packed with teaching times – both corporate sessions
and times with the men and women separately as we addressed concerns
specific to their needs.
We
also served them a generous lunch, allowing time for fellowship and new
relationships to form.
Wendy
was able to share with the women in the afternoon, including a teaching on
the power of their words for life or death, blessing or cursing (refs). At
the conclusion, she gave each of them a flavored tube of lip gloss to
remind them to “keep their communications sweet”. This gift was quite a
novelty for many of these women, and they seemed to enjoy trying it out!
Frank
shared with the men about loving and cherishing their wives, even as Christ
loves the Church and gave Himself for her. He exhorted them to help draw
out the gifts and abilities of their wives, and to encourage the purpose of
God for them.
The
evening meeting included a powerful teaching by Frank on the Holy Spirit.
The hunger and response of the people was almost overwhelming. More than 30
pastors from various denominations were baptized in the Holy Spirit, with
the remainder pressing forward to receive a fresh filling and renewed
empowering for ministry. We prayed for them, and they were powerfully
touched. But things really “broke loose” when we asked them to then lay
hands on each other and pray!
At the
conclusion of this wonderful day, each registrant received a beautiful certificate
of completion and their very own copy of The Shepherd’s Staff, World MAP’s 1000-page equipping manual. In addition, they
were all given applications to fill out in order to receive their free
subscription to World MAP’s ACTS Equipping
Magazine for even more ongoing teaching resources.
It is
always humbling to witness the gratitude that pastors express for the help
you are providing to them through these seminars and materials. They are so
gracious and genuine in their thanks. The conference organizer expressed
his earnest desire for us to return and conduct several weeks of training for
them. Pray with us for God’s direction and wisdom in this regard.
Breaking New Ground
The following
morning, we packed up and headed for the next seminar location. It had been
recently reported that travelers on the jungle road we were supposed to
take were being assaulted and robbed (especially foreigners). So it was
decided that our team should fly over this area instead.
This
sounded like a good plan; but we didn’t realize that it would mean taking
off from a dirt runway on a missionary-aviation plane! To our relief, our
excellent and experienced pilot did a magnificent job. He did not like to
fly any higher than necessary, though – so we skimmed through the valleys,
with the mountainous rain forests on either side so close that we could
almost pick the guavas growing there!
We landed
safely at the airstrip in Atalaya, only to board
a three-wheeled, open-air “taxi”, bouncing along a dry and rutted dirt road
for about 30 minutes into town. We did enjoy the local tropical landscape
as we drove, and the natural beauty of this jungle area.
The
conditions and people grew increasingly primitive as we traveled further
into Peru.
The culture shock was more like “culture whiplash” for us American
“gringos”. Since it is rare for people like us to travel from the outside
into these areas, we were quite the spectacle for the local people as well!
As we
arrived at the meeting hall, the pastors from the outlying jungles and
rivers were already arriving for World MAP’s
three-day conference. We had provided river boats and gasoline for their
transportation. Having never gathered for this type of training event, the
pastors were even more excited than we were to be together.
“You DO Have A Message!”
We
enjoyed three very full and powerful days with the precious pastors of Atalaya. There were four daily sessions, and a meeting
each evening as well.
Among
Frank’s teachings was a complete Genesis-to-Revelation explanation of the salvation
story, ensuring that these pastors had a good understanding of these
essential and foundational truths.
Frank
also included in-depth teaching on the Holy Spirit. Though few had heard
this type of teaching, they were so open and desirous of all that God had
for them. Many were baptized in the Holy Spirit for the first time; and the
rest were powerfully touched and refired as they
came forward for prayer.
Wendy
was able to encourage the women in their gifts and callings. Many of them
are uneducated, and some illiterate, so it was hard for them to believe
that God could use them in ministry or that they had anything worthwhile to
give.
At one
point, Wendy asked them, “How many of you know that God loves people?” Of
course, they all raised their hands. Wendy said, “Well, then, you have a
message to share!”
Then
Wendy asked, “How many of you know that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, died for
your sins? And that when you believe in Him, you will be forgiven and saved
for eternity?” Again, they all raised their hands. “See, you DO have a
message to share!”
She
then asked if they believed that God answers prayer. They all did, of
course. She explained, “You can simply pray for someone’s need. You do not
have to do anything else. Let God reveal Himself to them by answering their
prayer.”
It was
as if a light was turned on! They began to nod and smile, realizing that
God could use them if only they would be willing to share what they knew
about Him. They didn’t have to be Bible scholars or experienced speakers –
they just needed to be available to God for His use!
Training Bonus
In
addition to spiritual sustenance, World MAP provided cooks and supplies to
feed and house the pastors for the duration of the seminar. On the final
evening, the registrants enjoyed a full chicken-and-fries dinner. This was
especially appreciated, since these folks rarely enjoy such luxurious fare!
It was
also our joy later that evening to present each participant with a
certificate of completion and a copy of The
Shepherd’s Staff for their continued use and training. We also enrolled
each one for their free ACTS Equipping Magazine subscription.
We
wish there were words to express the pastors’ gratitude for what your
generous donations provide! These frontline saints do so much with everything
you supply them – your help is a tremendous blessing to them!
About The Father’s Business
We
were to travel on even further into the jungle for a smaller pastors’
gathering the following week. But heavy, unseasonable rains poured down
upon us in Atalaya and it was likely the dirt
road we needed to take to our next seminar was washed out. We also got word
that very few pastors would be able to make it. So that seminar was
postponed until another time.
God
loves the people of Peru,
and has high purpose and destiny for them. We are grateful for the great
things God has done, is doing, and that we know He will continue to do in and
through the people Peru!
Thank
you for your prayers and support that allow us to encourage and train
pastors, who will in turn encourage and train many others. It is good to be
about the Father’s business in these crucial hours of Church history,
amen?! Amen!
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